Heartbreaking Footage of Sadio Mane Consoling Cristiano Ronaldo During Champions League Exit Emerges

Heartbreaking Footage of Sadio Mane Consoling Cristiano Ronaldo During Champions League Exit Emerges

Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe
March 12, 2024 at 9:11 PM
In this article:
Cristiano Ronaldo logo
C. Ronaldo
Al Nassr FC logoFPortugal logo
Sadio Mané logo
S. Mané
Al Nassr FC logoFSenegal logo
Al Nassr FC logo
Al Nassr
Saudi Arabia
33
Al-Ain FC logo
Al-Ain FC
United Arab Emirates
36
AFC Champions League logo
AFC ACL
Asia
  • Cristiano Ronaldo was heartbroken as Al-Nassr fell short in the AFC CL
  • He had to be consoled by Sadio Mane as his side got eliminated by Al Ain
  • Ronaldo and his teammates will have to concentrate on domestic cups

A visibly distraught Cristiano Ronaldo had to be consoled by teammate Sadio Mane during Al-Nassr's heartbreaking exit from the AFC Champions League.

Both Mane and Ronaldo were anticipated to be pivotal figures in a potential Remontada bid, which ultimately fell short after extra time and penalty shootouts.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Al-Nassr, Al Ain, AFC Champions League, heartbroken.
Sadio Mane played the 'big brother' role in consoling Cristiano Ronaldo after their Champions League exit. Photos by Yasser Bakhsh and Francois Nel.
Source: Getty Images

Although Ronaldo ended his two-game goal drought by scoring in extra time, Sadio couldn't find the net but contributed with an assist, showcasing an overall commendable performance.

Despite their contributions, Al Ain's progression to the semi-finals of Asia's premier club competition through a 3-1 penalty shootout victory overshadowed their efforts.

CR7, particularly, was left ruing several missed opportunities, including an uncharacteristic blunder from close range, just three yards from the box, as noted by GOAL.

The outcome might have been different had he converted one of those chances, potentially securing a spot in the last four for the Knights of Najd.

Mane consoles heartbroken Ronaldo

The disappointment was palpable among Luis Castro's team, with Ronaldo visibly affected.

In a widely circulated video on social media, sighted by Sports Brief, the former Real Madrid star appeared crestfallen while seated on the pitch.

Mane, upon noticing his captain's despondency, rushed to offer support, enveloping him in a warm embrace to demonstrate solidarity.

What's next for Ronaldo and Al-Nassr?

Now, Ronaldo and his teammates will have to focus must shift to finishing the season strongly in the Saudi Pro League, where they lag behind the runaway leaders Al-Hilal by 12 points with 11 games remaining, per Flashscore.

While capturing the league title seems unlikely, they could redirect their efforts towards the Saudi Kings Cup, where they have reached the semi-finals.

Passionate Al-Nassr fan slams Ronaldo

In another video following Al-Nassr's exit, a passionate Al-Nassr fan expressed his frustration about Cristiano Ronaldo and other prominent players after the team's disappointing elimination from the AFC Champions League on Monday, March 11, as reported by Sports Brief.

Since joining Al-Nassr in December 2022, Ronaldo has secured only one trophy with the club: the Arab Club Champions Cup.

Authors
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe photo
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe
Godwin Nii Armah Tagoe is a Ligue 1, Bundesliga, and La Liga editor with five-year experience. He previously worked with Sports Corna and 360SportsGH.
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